McDONALD’S has ditched its eco-friendly coffee lids after customers kept complaining about being scalded.
Plastic lids are back less than a year after they were scrapped for a moulded fibre alternative.
The U-turn across England was made at the end of last month due to customer feedback which panned the new lids.
One staff member claimed: “The paper lids weren’t secure enough and they were falling off while people were drinking — meaning they got burned and covered in coffee.”
Another, at a branch in South London, said: “One thing we kept hearing was that coffee was leaking out.”
McDonald’s introduced its fibre lids in January to “innovate and improve” the drinking experience.
The US firm said the packaging had been tested thoroughly and it had received “extensive feedback both internally and externally, allowing us to make any necessary changes ahead of launch”.
But customers quickly complained. One wrote: “The lid is soggy, the paper seems to be dissolving and overall it’s bloody miserable.”
Another fumed: “Please go back to plastic lids. The paper ones leak, they make the coffee taste different and they feel uncomfortable in the mouth..”
Last night McDonald’s said: “The innovation didn’t meet expectations and customers told us they weren’t satisfied.
“We will be temporarily returning to plastic lids while we find a suitable alternative that performs to the standards we require.”
